Hippos are strictly herbivorous. Each night the herd comes ashore and travels up to
five miles inland to graze on short grasses. The paths to the feeding grounds become well-worn with use, and the animals mark
the paths with their dung and urine to help them find their way home just before dawn. An adult hippo will consume about 100
pounds of grass each night, which is actually a fairly modest amount for such a large creature. Hippos cut the grass off not
with their teeth, like most grazers, but with their broad, tough lips.

Hippos consume as much vegetation as they can during the night, when they are shielded from the searing
heat and sun. At dawn, they retire into water and spend their days resting, squabbling and, most importantly, digesting.

Where human settlements border the hippos' territory, the hippos will often wander out of their
usual grazing grounds and raid the nearby farmlands, where they do much damage.